Project Fenix

A teaching module has been created for use in education and tailored to specific programs and courses to serve the educational goals accordingly. In essence, the module consists of an assignment to interview an entrepreneur, and to draw lessons from that story and apply them to an own learning path. The experiences of the entrepreneurs can provide insight into where things may go wrong in the development of a company and how this can be translated into future actions.

As an entrepreneurship student it is important to become aware that entrepreneurship is not a bed of roses and especially to learn how to deal with this. Students have the opportunity to learn more about innovation processes, developments in an economic sector and expanding a business network. Whether students want to become entrepreneurs themselves, or will support entrepreneurs in the future, the stories of entrepreneurs themselves help to develop a realistic picture of an entrepreneur's life. We advise students to start with their family when looking for a potential story and ask whether they know some who had gone through bad times. Then, extend the search towards friends or acquaintances who may know someone who has gone bankrupt in their environment or who have faced serious setbacks. Local newspapers often provide information as well.

In consultation with the AUAS research leaders, the module can be obtained by e-mail. It will then be determined how the module can be adapted and how the AUAS can support the implementation. The condition is that the AUAS is named as developer of the Fenix Module.

The knowledge and expertise built up over the past few years has been translated into images, illustrations and assignments. An example of a workshop for teachers and business advisors can be found here:
Blog ECSB.

A presentation or workshop can be tailor-made in consultation with the AUAS research team on the following topics:

The content of failure and restart:

• Definitions of Failure, Agility and Recovery
• Early detection and crisis prevention
• Role of the entrepreneur and of other important actors in the area

Vicarious Learning – Learning from stories from others:

• Theory of learning from someone else's experience
• Patterns from stories of failure and restart
• Applying this method to other themes

Conducting qualitative research:

• Conduct an interview: how do you do that and what do you need to do in preparation
• Protocols for transcribing: what does that mean
• Protocols to anonymize: what to anonymize and what not

We started a database in 2017 with more than 1,100 stories collected by students who participated in this project. The transcripts made from the interviews were anonymized and coded. The GDPR guidelines have been followed to protect the identity of entrepreneurs and students. Examples of the declaration of consent and protocol to anonymize are available as part of the education module.

We have the database available for research purposes. You can request to view and edit the data by e-mail to Ingrid Wakkee, AUAS lecturer in Entrepreneurship. In the past period, not only researchers but also students have used the data to conduct research in their final year projects.

The stories collect the following information:

• Personal features of the entrepreneur
• Company background and industry
• Description of the setbacks and the recovery process
• People who have been involved in the network of the entrepreneur
• Lessons as specified by the entrepreneur

Books

• Alvarado Valenzuela J.F., Blagburn N., Martens J. 2021. Project Fenix. ISBN 9789491371400

• Wakkee I. 2010. Faillissement en Herstart; Entrepreneurship Update. ISBN/EAN: 978-90-78621-08-9

Scientific Articles

• Martens J, Alvarado Valenzuela J.F. (2019) Hulp voor ondernemers in nood. Maandblad voor Accountancy en Bedrijfseconomie 93(3/4): 127-134.
• Alvarado Valenzuela J.F., Wakkee I., Martens J., Grijsbach P. (2020) Lessons from entrepreneurial failure through vicarious learning, Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, DOI: 10.1080/08276331.2020.183183

The data from project Fenix offers many possibilities for students who want to do research before writing their bachelor's or master's thesis. When students want to use the data for this, they are supervised by the researchers of project Fenix. In recent years, various studies have been conducted by students from the AUAS, AMSIB and the Vrije University Amsterdam.

• A student of Commercial Economics has conducted research into the role of different parties within a company and how they respond in the event of a business crisis (thesis Carmen Been, AUAS 2019, written in Dutch).
• The data was used to look at what the failure stories of female entrepreneurs look like (scriptie Samantha Francisco, AUAS 2020, written in Dutch),
• An AMSIB student has researched the influence of internationalization on the process of failure in a company (thesis Max Spierings, AMSIB 2020),
• An MBA student & AUAS staff member has carried out research into how financial advisers deal with their role when a company gets into difficulties (thesis van Desiree de Bos- van Birgelen, Nyenrode 2020),
• The data was also used to investigate the differences between female and male students in dealing with this assignment (thesis of Myrthe Bootsma, VU 2021 , written in Dutch),
• Students have used the data to zoom in on the role of the network for entrepreneurs in dire straits (thesis of Meredith Petrisie, VU 2021 en thesis of Joury Ottenbros, AUAS 2021, both in Dutch).
• Other students were interested in looking to the future. How do entrepreneurs who have faced serious problems look to the future (thesis of van Jim Woudstra, AUAS 2021; thesis of Judy Westenberg, AUAS 2021, both written in Dutch).

In recent years we have collaborated with the following parties:

Inside the AUAS:

• Creative Business Program – Faculty of Digital Media and Creative Industry in the specialization Media entrepreneurship together with Annemieke Boer.
• Commercial Economic Program – Faculty of Business en Economics in the Entrepreneurship Track together with Stefan Molenaars, Pere Guanter en Zouhair Ben Abdelkarim.
• Sport, Management en Entrepreneurship Program – Faculty of Sports and Nutrition together with the team led by Wilko de Graaf and in close contact with Jet van der Werf

Outside the AUAS:

• Avans University of Applied Sciences, program Business Innovation together with Yvonne Koert and Anne Marieke Fransen
• Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Professorship of Business Innovation together with the team led by Dr. Arie de Wild.
• University of Northumbria, UK, Faculty of Business, course Business Closure together with Dr. Natalia Blagburn.
• University of Taphar together with Dr. Karminder Ghuman.
• University of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia together with Andrea Zelienkova